Born in Germany, Vordemberge-Gildewart studied architecture and sculpture in Hanover. He became a close friend of the artist Kurt Schwitters, who also lived there. Vordemberge-Gildewart was one of the first artists to work in an abstract style throughout his career, instead of arriving at abstraction through a process of reduction, as Picasso, Braque and Mondrian had done. He began making constructivist-influenced paintings in 1919 and 1920 and from 1925 had close ties with the Dutch De Stijl group. Vordemberge-Gildewart lived in Paris in the mid-1920s, designing posters and catalogues as well as pursuing his own artistic agenda.
The name of a Dutch art and design journal edited by Theo van Doesburg from 1917 to 1932 and the alliance of artists associated with it, including Piet Mondrian, Bart Van der Leck and Georges Vantongerloo. They were concerned with finding a harmonious balance in life and art through simple abstraction, characterised by strong horizontal and vertical lines and primary colours.